For centuries man has designed and built clocks that served the dual purpose of indicating the current time and adding to the aesthetic decor of an area.
Traditionally, mechanical clocks, whether driven by weights, springs and/or electrical energy, have consisted of a clock face and a number of hands rotating about a central point on the clock face. The hour hand is typically shorter and completes one revolution every twelve hours. The minute hand is typically larger and completes one revolution every sixty minutes. To aid in the user's interpretation of the device, the clock face often features time demarcations. This configuration is ubiquitous and is popular in architectural clocks, wall clocks, desk clocks, and wrist watches.
Many clock designers, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 2,153,004, by C. H. H. Rodanet, issued Apr. 4, 1939, seek to achieve aesthetic distinction by altering the symbols used on the clock face and/or by designing uniquely shaped hands. That clock also attached the hands onto rotating disks to give the appearance that the hands were floating.
Other clock designers, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,999,496, by Y. Chaut, issued Dec. 7, 1999, seek to achieve aesthetic appeal through a unique configuration of elements that do not feature hands or traditional clock faces. While such clocks may be considered aesthetically striking, these clocks do not allow the use of traditional clock interpretation methods to determine the indicated time.
The present inventor previously patented a group of aesthetically appealing clocks which used traditional clock interpretation methods to determine the indicated time in U.S. Pat. No. 7,061,833, by Karl Allen Dierenbach, issued Jun. 13, 2006. However, there remains a need for, and it would be advantageous to have, additional clocks that are aesthetically unique and do not possess traditional faces or hands, but nonetheless are interpreted using traditional clock interpretation methods.